


The Devil in the Light

by Kalpana



Category: Star Trek, Star Trek: The Original Series, Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: Action/Adventure, Alternate Universe - Fusion, Alternate Universe - Post-Canon, Alternate Universe - Star Trek Fusion, Crossover, Developing Friendships, Developing Relationship, Dubious Science, Five Year Mission, Friends to Lovers, Friendship, Friendship/Love, Future Fic, Gems are fascinating as an alien race, Gen, Hurt James T. Kirk, Inspired by Steven Universe, Jim is in love with Spock, Maybe other gems too, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Peridot and Jasper will appear, Pink was given a different colony, Post-Steven Universe Future, Slow Burn, Steven is an alien, crew of the starship enterprise - Freeform, the rest is the same
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-16
Updated: 2020-08-01
Packaged: 2021-03-02 21:34:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 18,272
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24223621
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kalpana/pseuds/Kalpana
Summary: The starship Entreprise continues its voyages beyond the known limits of the Alpha Quadrant. Captain Kirk and his crew arrive at a new solar system where they find unsettling signs of the existence of a very advanced and lethal alien species that shatters planets to pieces. They must investigate to inform Starfleet of this new danger to the Federation.Meanwhile, Homeworld has to face an enemy that threatens to destroy their race entirely. Despite Alien!Steven's pleas for peace, the Diamonds prepare for the inevitable war for survival. That means they are awakening the dormant Kindergartens to produce new gem warriors. Peridot and Jasper are sent to prepare an old colony of Yellow Diamond.Note: Kirk POV, Spock POV and Peridot POV
Relationships: James T. Kirk & Leonard "Bones" McCoy & Spock, James T. Kirk & Spock, James T. Kirk/Spock, Jasper & Peridot (Steven Universe), Spock & Nyota Uhura
Comments: 11
Kudos: 34





	1. Hollowed Worlds

**Author's Note:**

> I love both Star Trek and Steven Universe. I always thought that the concept of the Gems and Homeworld was really cool and that they would make amazing villains in any sci-fi story. Specially when I watched Jungle Moon, the portrayal of the alien life and the effect of the Gems in the colonies was so original. I missed that in Star Trek, where most of the recurrent aliens are humanoids and quite similar to each other. So I thought, what would Kirk do if he met the gems? Or rather, how would Kirk react if he met an alien race that destroyed planets with organic life? And Spock? And McCoy?
> 
> In this story, Pink wasn't given Earth as a colony but a different planet, and though the rest of the story is the same, rebellion and all, Steven is an alien and there are no traces of Gem culture/technology on Earth whatsoever. Now this is far into the future and the new Diamond Authority's rule is threatened by another alien race so they are forced to take a violent stance despite Steven. He is as lovely as we know him but the context is entirely different, so he has to make some tough choices.
> 
> I have the entire story outlined it will be several chapters but I haven't written all of them yet so things may change (also tags and ratings).
> 
> As usual, I didn't have a beta and English isn't my first language, so if you see any blunders please let me know! Concrit is superwelcome. I hope you enjoy the story.

The red doors of the turbolift swished open to let Captain Kirk in.

"Where exactly are we, Mr Sulu?"

"We are bordering the known limits of the alpha quadrant, sir."

"What's our ETA?"

"About 3 hours, sir."

"My estimate is 2.6 hours, Captain," Spock chimed in from his station.

"Do we have anything on this area, Mr. Spock? Has any other ship visited it?"

"Not that we know of, Captain. According to our records, we are the first Federation vessel to come this far."

"Well, isn't that exciting!" Kirk rubbed his palms with anticipation. "I hope we will find something interesting to chart out there."

"Anything we find is bound to be interesting, since it has never been seen before."

"Of course, Mr. Spock," Kirk didn't suppress a smile.

Ten hours later, the Enterprise's sensors announced the presence of a star system. Kirk immediately ordered Sulu to plot a course in that direction. He loved these assignments—going into unknown places, being the first to see a new planet, a new nebula, meet a new civilization—that was why he joined Starfleet for a start. To boldly go where no man has gone before. It was addictive. What would they find there? He would welcome anything but having to sit longer doing nothing else than regular starship drills and duties.

"What do we have so far on this system?" Kirk asked, hovering around the science station, where his Vulcan first officer was busy making sense of the sensors' data.

"The star of this system is quite similar to Earth's. There are 5 planets orbiting it, and a dense asteroid belt encircling them all. Their characteristics are difficult to ascertain at this distance."

"Mr. Sulu, take us into the system. Warp factor 3.”

"Aye aye, sir."

"And be careful with those asteroids. If our ship gets damaged, we’ll get little help out here."

Soon enough the viewscreen filled up with rocks of different sizes and shapes.

"This is fascinating."

Kirk thought he heard a hint of excitement in his science officer’s voice.

"Mr. Spock?"

"Captain-" the Vulcan turned and pointed to the viewscreen "-my first evaluation was mistaken. This is not an asteroid belt, and those are not asteroids. Not _real_ asteroids. This is planetary debris."

"Debris, Mr. Spock? As in, this is what's left of a planet?"

"Exactly. To all appearances, there was a sixth planet to this system, which was shattered. To all intents and purposes, now it is an asteroid belt."

"Is there any way it could have happened...naturally?"

"There are a number of phenomena that could have been the cause. I request permission to beam some of the remains on board for research."

"By all means, Mr. Spock," Kirk pressed a button on his panel. "Transporter room. We need to beam up some of the… asteroids in this belt for tests. Mr Spock will be sending you the coordinates."

"Aye, sir."

"Coordinates sent."

"Once you transport them, take them to the astrophysics lab. Kirk out." He turned his chair around. "Mr Spock, let's go to the lab. I want to know more about what happened to that planet." His first officer nodded and they both stood up at once and went swiftly to the turbolift.

"Deck 6," Kirk said, looking at his first officer. "Spock. How do you estimate this could have happened artificially?"

"Sir, I would appreciate it if you would ask me questions _after_ gathering and studying the data, instead of before."

"How big an asteroid should be to crash into a planet and turn it into pieces?"

"I see you are choosing to ignore my words."

"Damn it, Spock! I need answers, quickly."

"The sooner I get to the lab, the sooner you'll get your answers."

The sample asteroids were already in the astrophysics lab when they arrived. Spock went to his office to take his equipment. He didn't like anyone else to use his instruments and mess with his settings, so he had a separate set all to himself. He went over one of the asteroids, a bulbous brown rock. Kirk sat in a chair opposite to the table where Spock was working hunched over the rock, measuring and analyzing it with delicate movements, as if it were made of glass instead of solid rock. He stopped occasionally to jot down things in his PADD before continuing his analysis. 

After some time, Spock turned and put the PADD next to Jim, and from a drawer took a pair of protective glasses. Handing one to his captain, he said:

"I will cut a piece of the asteroid."

Kirk nodded and put on the gear. Spock did the same, and taking a laser from another corner of the lab, he went over the rock and cut one of its bulbs off. The piece fell flat on the table and revealed shiny grey stripes.

"That didn't sound like rock at all." Kirk said, taking off the glasses.

"Indeed, Captain. Its composition is 84% iron and 21% nickel. Some traces or carbon and uranium."

"You mean this is part of the planet's core?"

"I believe I said that. I selected two different asteroids to beam up for research. The other one should give us more information on what type of planet it used to be." 

Spock moved to the next table, where a black and angular rock lied. Repeating the same movements as before, he stretched his arm towards Kirk without taking his eyes from the instruments.

"Captain, please, the PADD."

"Oh, yes. Here."

He continued his analysis, writing notes before signalling Kirk to wear the protective glasses again. This time, Spock cut a bigger chunk of rock. Removing the glasses, he turned his chair to the captain:

"Basalt, magnesium, iron, traces of other elements. I believe this could have been part of the oceanic crust of the planet. Both rocks seem to have undergone massive pressures and very high temperatures at some point."

"So it was an M class planet."

"Due to the distance from the star, it would be an P class planet."

"Can you put a date to the event?"

"It would be difficult to say. The rocks themselves are millions of years old. Their analysis would yield nothing in that respect. We’d need to search for clues in their orbit."

"OK." Kirk stood up and walked towards Spock. He placed both palms on the table and leaned forward, staring at him. "Let's see if you can now answer some of the questions I asked you before. What was the approximate size of the planet?" 

"By the density in the asteroids detected in this belt, I would say around 6000 km in diameter."

"If this planet's destruction had been caused by a real asteroid crashing into it, how big would it need to be?"

"If this planet was anything like Earth, or Mars for that matter, it would have had to be massive. A rogue planet. Or a completely different type of asteroid, something like a ball or uranium of at least 5.6 km in diameter."

"While we arrived at the system, did the sensors detect any such cloud from where an asteroid or planetoid of those characteristics could come from?"

"No, Captain."

Kirk raised his palms from the table and crossed his arms in front of him.

"One last question. How do you estimate this could have happened artificially?"

The comm buzzed.

"Sulu to Captain Kirk."

"Kirk here."

"We have cleared the asteroid belt."

"We'll be up there immediately. Maintain course and speed. Kirk out."

Kirk resumed his previous stare.

"Captain, if this was the product of an alien civilization, we may meet them in this system now that we have crossed the belt."

"Right. We should be on the bridge. Come on."

****

"Report on this system, Mr Spock."

"There seems to be only one M class planet, Captain. 80% nitrogen and 20% oxygen, 0.93% argon and carbon dioxide 0.03% trace amounts of other gases."

"Any indications of life?"

"We would need to get closer for an accurate sensor reading."

"What about the rest?"

"Two are gaseous, another one is far too close to the star and our sensors do not pick up any readings at this distance. The other is quite fascinating, Captain. Our sensors detect that it used to be an M class planet but it has suffered some sort of event that has deprived it from its atmosphere. It is now like an empty rock."

"On screen," Kirk ordered. A grey planet grew in size in the viewscreen. It wasn't round in shape, at least not anymore, as it was no more an M class planet. Entire continents had been hollowed out, especially the southern hemisphere of the planet was more of a bunch of rocks still locked to the planet's core gravity. They could see space through it. The northern hemisphere had huge chasms carved out. It was dead.

Everyone on the bridge gaped. Kirk struggled for words, finally settling for looking at his science officer and letting him speak. Spock tore his eyes away from the viewscreen to meet Kirk’s, raising an eyebrow. Even he was at a loss.

"Captain, our understanding of this system would benefit from some added samples from this planet,” he finally said.

"Yes, Mr. Spock. Please make all the necessary arrangements with the Transporter room. Once you get the samples, meet me in briefing room 5. Lieutenant Uhura, call the heads of the geology and xenobiology departments to meet me in the briefing room in 15 minutes. Mr. Sulu, maintain orbit," Kirk said before leaving the bridge.

In the turbolift, Kirk straightened his shirt. This new system definitely did not let him down in his expectations of finding something worth exploring. He hoped that it stayed just that. Whatever had turned the planets to dust would not do the same with his Enterprise, at least not while he was alive. On his way to the briefing room, he approached the first communicator in the corridor. 

"Kirk to sickbay."

"McCoy here. What's up Jim?" 

"Meet me in briefing room 5."

"Now? I'm in the middle of…"

"I'm sure Miss Chapel can handle it," Kirk interrupted. "This may be important, Bones. We have found something out there, and if things take the wrong turn, we'll need you to stay on top of it."

"Understood, Jim. I'll be there in a minute."

"Kirk out."

***

Fifteen minutes later, Captain Kirk, First Officer Spock, Chief Medical Officer McCoy, and the heads of the geology and xenobiology departments, Dr Sierra and Dr Trivedi, were sitting around the briefing room’s table listening to Spock. While the first officer explained the situation, Kirk surveyed his fellow officers' reactions in silence. 

He could see that, even after the initial briefing, neither Dr Sierra, Dr Trivedi nor Dr McCoy understood why they were called to a meeting with the captain and the first officer. Only when Spock introduced the first of his stack of tapes into the computer and played the images they had recorded — the scattered rocks of what was once a planet, the hollowed and ghastly sight of an M class planet turned into a dead wreck of floating rubble — only then they started to see the point of the meeting.

"Fascinating, isn't it?" Kirk broke the silence that had overcome the room.

McCoy was the first to react, whipped by the use of Spock’s favorite word.

"Fascinating, Jim? I think you're spending too much time with our friend Spock here. This is appalling!" 

Kirk looked at McCoy briefly and decided to ignore the comment.

"Dr Sierra, please see Mr Spock’s data and then tell us what's your opinion on the possible natural causes of this type of event, first on a single planet and then on two planets of the same system."

"Are we assuming the same thing happened to both?" Dr Sierra asked while Spock put the second of his tapes into the computer.

"It is a working assumption. In any case, we need to consider the possibility."

"Well, nothing in its core could’ve done it. Not to the point of transforming a planet into a bunch of asteroids. The images of the second planet are also inexplicable if we consider a geological event. However, if a big asteroid or planetoid had crashed into them…"

"Thank you for confirmation, Dr Sierra,” Spock said. “We have looked into the collision theory but our findings on the samples we beamed up so far are inconsistent. It does seem that a great impact of sorts subjected the rocks to immense temperatures and pressure. However, we are unable to identify the direction of that impact.”

"But it must have surely come from outside!"

"Furthermore, we have not found signs of any place where such a body could have originated in this system," Spock remarked.

"Ahem—excuse me, gentlemen, but, as interesting as this all is, I fail to see why I have been summoned here," said Dr Trivedi.

"Doctor, we would like you to study the samples we beamed up from both planets for traces of alien life," Spock said. "Also, there is another M planet in this system."

"Which we will be visiting shortly," Kirk added.

"I see."

"Please, have a look at the data I have gathered so far," Spock requested, introducing the second of his tapes into the computer. 

Dr Trivedi focused on her monitor. 

"I would need some time to make sense out of this data, sir. Moreover, these are just a few samples, definitely not enough to conclude anything with any degree of certainty."

"You're right, doctor. Please do all the tests you may need on these rocks. Inform us of your results as soon as you get any. We’d like you to be at the landing party to this M planet. Putting the three planets together may throw more light into this mystery." 

"Of course, Captain."

"Spock," Kirk invited his first officer to start. 

Spock leaned his back on the chair before speaking. 

"These are the facts. First, so far we have dismissed the possibility of an internal geological cause for the destruction of any of these two planets. Second, we have insufficient data to confirm that a planetoid of appropriate size collided in such a way as to provoke the complete shattering of what was the sixth planet in this system. Third, even if that had been indeed the case, a similar occurrence must have happened _again_ to explain the current state of the fourth planet — the statistical probability of that happening is a million to one. Therefore, logic dictates we must consider the probability of an artificial cause."

"Spock, are you saying some aliens out there have destroyed two planets and whatever life could have been in them?" McCoy burst.

"Indeed, doctor," Spock steepled his fingers. "An alien civilization with very advanced technology and a disregard for life unobstructed by morals."

"You mean for organic life, don't you, Mr Spock?" Dr Trivedi asked.

"For all life, except their own. No forms of inorganic life as we know them could be sustained in those asteroids or in that carcass of a planet."

"A robotic civilization could." 

"They could, but for what purpose? A robotic civilization would have a logical purpose. Why would they destroy a planet to live in it, when they could also live in the undestroyed planet? That would be an illogical waste of resources," Spock said.

"Yes, I think it is rather the opposite. It seems obvious that whoever did this, they took something out of it," Kirk stood up and paced around the room, all eyes on him. "Whatever resources they need to survive, or maybe to expand, they need to take them ripping planets apart."

"They still could be robots," McCoy said.

"Or organic, doctor. Species with unlimited disregard for others’ lives is not an unseen thing in the universe. Both in Earth and pre-reform Vulcan we can find such instances of genocide and mass murder, even within the same species."

"Yes, Mr Spock. We'll need a security team," Kirk said.

"They may not be interested in us, Captain. The Enterprise isn't a planet."

"Spock is right there, Jim. They obviously don't care about life, but that doesn't mean they’ll kill on sight."

"We have to make sure before informing Starfleet command. This meeting is over. We'll go to that M planet and investigate further. Dr Sierra, just in case it ends up being a geological phenomenon unique to this system, I want you in the landing party. Dr Trivedi, please study the samples until we arrive." 

When all but his first officer had left, Kirk pressed the button in the comm panel.

"Kirk to Bridge."

"Bridge here, sir," Uhura's voice came through.

"Tell Mr Sulu to break orbit and to head to the M planet, warp 1. We'll be up there shortly."

"Acknowledged, sir."

Kirk looked at Spock and took a deep breath. "Let's go."

***

"Entering orbit around the planet, sir," Sulu said.

"Cartographic sections, implement standard orders."

"Implementing," replied Uhura, passing the message to Cartography.

"Lieutenant Uhura, do you pick up any form of signal or communication?"

"Nothing, sir."

"Captain-" Spock said "-the sensors indicate no intelligent lifeforms. Only animal and plant life. Quite an ordinary planet, sir. Except for the fact that it seems to have suffered geological catastrophes of immense proportions that have destroyed part of its crust."

Kirk turned his head around. That could only mean...

"Could they be caused by natural phenomena?" he asked.

"Without beaming down to gather more data all I can say is mere speculation."

"Well, time to visit that planet. Lieutenant, send a message to the heads of the geology and xenobiology departments to join us in the transporter room. And Lieutenant Dupont from Security. Spock, Mr. Sulu, you're with me. Scotty, you have the bridge."

"Aye, sir," they said in unison.

***

The unnamed planet received its visitors quietly, a light breeze blowing through the green leaves of the tall alien trees. The soil was reddish, with some white strands and, apart from the tall trees, vegetation was scarce. The landing party beamed down near one of the hollowed sections Spock had located in his preliminary survey of the planet's surface. 

As soon as they materialized on the planet, Dr. Sierra, Dr. Trivedi and Spock took their tricorders and examined the place they had landed on. With a quick glance around, Kirk noticed there weren’t any flowers.

"Well, doesn't this place look like Colorado? Dr Sierra, what can you tell us?" Kirk said.

"Soil is sandstone,sir. Rich in silica and calcite, also iron. Low water content."

"Dr Trivedi?"

"It seems only woody plants grow in here, Captain. Shrubs, trees. Animal life may take a little while to find."

The captain took his communicator.

"Kirk to Enterprise. The planet seems safe, we're out to investigate."

"Aye, sir. Don't try to find trouble."

"Find trouble, Scotty?" Kirk asked.

"Stay safe, sir. That's all I'm saying."

"Kirk out," he huffed. "Let's start in a small perimeter, within 2 km, we don't know what may be out there. In groups of two. Regular check ups every 15 mins. We'll meet here again in one hour. Dupont, you go with Dr Sierra. Sulu, you with Dr Trivedi. Spock, you're with me. Let's see that chasm you located."

"This way, Captain," Spock said, pointing to the right direction after looking at the tricorder.

They had hardly walked 15 minutes when they reached a precipice. What looked like a series of canyons spread to the horizon. However, there was no river at the bottom that seemed like a plausible explanation to what they were seeing. 

Kirk's communicator buzzed.

"Kirk here."

"Sulu here, Captain. You may wanna have a look at this, sir. We've found something."

"What have you found, Mr. Sulu?"

"Well, I'm not sure of what it is, but it looks like ruins of some building."

Kirk and Spock looked at each other. "We're on our way." He was about to put it in his pocket when he thought better and called in the other team.

"Dr Sierra here."

"Kirk here. Have you found something?"

"Nothing to report, Captain. Small mammals, some insects..."

"Mr. Spock and I have found a… canyon, for lack of a better word. Lock on our position and come here. We'll be going to meet Mr Sulu and Dr Trivedi, they may have found a building."

"Aye, sir. We've got your location."

"Great. Kirk out."

Retracing their steps towards Sulu and Dr Trivedi, Kirk wondered what could have ripped the ground apart in such a manner. He was eager to know Dr Sierra's analysis. And to see that building, or whatever it was. This planet was turning more and more intriguing every minute.

"Spock, you saw the canyon back there. Could an earthquake have caused something like that?"

"It doesn't seem probable, but until we know more about this planet it is difficult to say. First we should determine how old that geological formation is. An analysis by the Enterprise's computers will be able tell us more about the planet's core and tectonic dynamics."

"Has any similar formation ever been registered on any planet known to us?"

"I don't think so, Captain. I checked the computer's data banks before beaming down. Nothing of this magnitude," Spock said. "In fact, your initial evaluation was extremely accurate. The Colorado and Utah regions of the United States on Earth are the more similar in appearance geological structures in Federation registers to what we have just seen." Spock hesitated before adding. "I was not aware geology was one of your interests, Captain."

"It isn't, Spock." Kirk said, smiling. He really enjoyed it when he managed to astonish his first officer. "Could this be the prelude to what happened to the other two planets we encountered?"

"It could."

There was no time to continue the conversation. They had arrived at where Dr Trivedi and Sulu were waiting. Behind them, they could see what seemed like an abandoned amphitheatre, rhomboid instead of oval, the terraces carved out of solid rock. Its center was built like a chess board, in red and white squares. At the far side, there was a bright circle-shaped platform accessible by stairs. Speechless, Kirk looked to Spock with a question in his eyes.

"Fascinating," he said, noticing his Captain's look. Saying nothing else, he started to go down the stands, tricorder in hand, towards the chessboard-like arena. The rest followed him, jumping several stairs to keep Spock's pace.

"The readings indicate this is a very old structure. Thousands of years old. However, it is in perfect shape. No erosion at all." Spock told Kirk once he got closer. "I cannot explain it."

"This structure seems abandoned, though. And there are no signs of intelligent life yet."

"Indeed, Captain. But as for ruins of an extinguished civilization go, these may as well be the best preserved in the entire universe. The probabilities of this happening are… zero."

"Yet, here they are. What do you reckon is this place exactly? A theater? An auditorium?"

"It would seem so. However, I think the key is that platform over there. It is architecturally quite different from the rest of the structure. The only circle. The material it is made of seems to be different too." Kirk nodded in agreement, and they both went towards the raised platform. Sulu and Dr Trivedi were studying the opposite parts of the amphitheater. 

They walked around the platform first, Spock frowning to the tricorder.

"Don't like the readings?" Kirk asked.

"I do not like them or dislike them. I am simply struggling to find an explanation. It seems to be made of only SiCO3. That's quartz in its purest form. It must be synthetic. That means the civilization was quite advanced. This planet seems devoid of predators, has fertile soil and mild weather. It welcomes life. I cannot understand why such a civilization disappeared."

"Any hypothesis on what it is for?"

"Not yet, Captain. Here, at the base, there are some markings, maybe written messages stating the purpose of this construction. If we send the data to Uhura she may be able to translate with the help of the computer."

"Do so. I'll contact the Enterprise. We may need another landing party to cover a greater area."

Sulu and Trivedi joined them around the quartz platform.

"Sir, this place looks like new but the tricorder reads it's thousands of years old."

"I know, Mr Sulu. Have you found anything of interest? Dr Trivedi?"

"Captain, I have only registered small mammals, insects and one species of reptile. Nothing dangerous to us. Also, though this place is ancient, no vegetation has grown between the rocks. In fact, it seems that plants stay away from this place. There is like a buffer area of some 5 metres between the border of the amphitheater and the nearest trees."

"Good observation, doctor. Any explanation as to why is that?"

"I need to take more readings."

"Then, by all means, take them. I'm calling the Enterprise for more hands to study the area. Do you need anything or anyone?"

"I've almost run out of containers for samples."

"OK, I'll ask for new equipment to be sent." Kirk opened the communicator.

"Captain, we haven't heard from Dr. Sierra in a while," Spock said softly. Kirk nodded.

"Dr Sierra? Kirk here. Dr Sierra?" he asked into the comm device in his hand. No reply came. He tried Lt Dupont's communicator. "Lt Dupont? Do you read me? Kirk here."

The only sound that came through was static. Maybe beaming down more crewmen was not the best idea. Kirk hailed the ship: "Scotty, can you hear me?"

"Aye, sir. How are things going down there?"

"We've lost communication with Dr. Sierra and Lt Dupont. Last time we saw them they were about a mile north to our current position. Can you locate them? They may be in trouble."

"We'll try, sir."

"How are things up there?"

"Everything’s fine here, sir. Nothing but space," Scotty said reassuringly. "Sir, we've located Dr Sierra's and Lt Dupont's communicators, but there is nothing to get a fix on to beam aboard. They must've lost the communicators or something."

"Hm. Keep trying to locate them by their bio signals. Beam down extra equipment for sampling. Ah, Spock will be sending Lt Uhura data on some writings we have found on the planet."

"I've got them, Captain. I'm already working on them," Uhura's voice came through.

"Let us know as soon as you get anything. Kirk out."

The requested equipment materialized next to Kirk. He gave it to Sulu to deliver to Dr Trivedi.

"Don't venture too far," he advised. He really needed to find Sierra and Dupont. 

Spock climbed the raised platform and looked around. 

"Captain," he started, "I believe I was correct in my initial assessment of this place. This is indeed the key element in the entire structure. I also believe the alien species who built this was humanoid and that this is indeed an auditorium like building. Have you noticed the stairs to access the platform were placed looking at the center of the stands of the amphitheater? This means that whatever or whoever was standing here would receive everyone's attention."

"I see, Spock." Kirk climbed the stairs to join his first officer. "Indeed. People would sit there, and here something…"

"Or someone."

"But isn't this too far away from the stands? If people ‘acted’ here, it wouldn't be possible to see them or hear them properly."

"You are considering them humanoids similar in size and abilities to yours. Vulcans wouldn't have a problem hearing a conversation this far away," Spock replied. "Also, this could be for something else than acting. Could be public speaking, a place where politicians or persons of public interest would give a speech from."

"That would explain the small size of this platform,” Kirk agreed.

"Or it could be something else entirely. The fact that this has been made of synthetic quartz is remarkable. The rest of the structure seems carved in the rock, not artificially made."

"Keep on it." Kirk was visibly concerned about the disappearance of two of his crew. He took out the communicator to hail Scotty again.

"Entreprise, this is Kirk."

But he didn't get to finish that sentence. As soon as the signal was emitted, a column of light burst from the circle and they were floating fast upwards. Or so it seemed to them. They could see the planet flashing very fast outside the beam of light. With his free hand, Kirk reached for Spock and held on to his arm. 

"Jim, I believe I was wrong. The platform was a transporter device."

"I can see that, Spock! Hold tight!"

Spock's hands closed around Kirk's arms.

Suddenly they stopped going upwards. As if the reference point had changed, they now went downwards, until they landed on another circle platform, very similar to the one they had come from.

Only, this one was deep inside a canyon.


	2. Coming to light

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kirk and Spock have been transported accidentally across the planet. They find something that allows them to put together some interesting pieces of information about the aliens that destroyed the planets in the system.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Writing this chapter was tough but fun. I had to be on the lookout constantly not to assume information that those readers who are not into the SU fandom wouldn't understand at all. I think I managed but let me know if you find something the Kirk and Spock shouldn't know. For those who are reading this because of the Gems, next chapter features Peridot and Jasper.
> 
> Also I read somewhere (probably Tumblr) an extract of an interview to William Shatner (I think, if I find it I'll link it here) where he was explaining how the writers of the original show had to get the Enterprise out the way early on in most episodes to allow an interesting narrative to happen, since otherwise at any moment the Enterprise could 1) beam the away team up, getting them out of trouble, 2) beam more people or equipment down for assistance and 3) strike the planet (something they actually do sometimes, like in Bread and Circuses). Well, I thought it would be fun to write a fic in which the Enterprise always works at 100% its capacity, and so do the communicators and all devices. So everything will work, except in one single context which has an explanation, and hopefully the story will be equally compelling.

The landing was smooth, but Kirk and Spock were shaken by the unexpected transport, still holding onto each other and unsure of their situation. Kirk was about to hail the Enterprise when Spock stopped him.

“Captain, not here.”

Kirk’s eyes widened in understanding.

“Oh. Right.” They left the platform on which they had landed, which was identical to the one they had come from.

“Do you reckon the transporter was activated by the communicator’s signal?”

“I don’t know. But since both events happened remarkably close in time, it is only logical to try to prevent it from happening again. Our current location is uncertain, and so is the place where we may transport to.”

Kirk nodded in agreement.

"Kirk to Enterprise, come in. Enterprise? Do you.."

"Scott here."

"Scotty, we have been involuntarily transported to another location on the planet. We are in one of the hollowed areas Mr Spock identified. We’re not sure which one. Can the Enterprise's sensor pick our signal?"

"Aye sir, we've got you. Shall we beam you up?"

"No, Scotty. Knowing that the communicators still work and that you still have a fix on us is enough. We'll explore this place now that we’re here. Any luck regarding Dr Sierra and Lieutenant Dupont?"

"Not yet, sir. We’re still trying."

"Lieutenant Uhura, do you have anything on those writings we sent?"

"Sir, it is very difficult without any more texts for comparison. If you find more, can you send them over? It would also be helpful if you could tell me more about the places where you're finding these writings."

"Mr Spock will be sending you all the data we have on the platform where we found the writing. Should we find more, we'll inform you. Contact Sulu and Dr Trivedi and ask them to do the same. They may find more before we do. Kirk out."

Patting Spock's arm, Kirk tilted his head towards the ground in front of them and said, "Let's find out what exactly this place is."

Now that they were paying more attention to their surroundings, they found that ‘canyon’ might not have been the most accurate description of the place they were in. Huge walls of red rock meandered their way as far as the eye could see. They noticed that on the walls there were small openings—seemingly tunnels or caves. Scattered on the ground and, to their amazement, almost hanging mid-air parallel to the walls, there were some kind of machines. They looked like elongated bacteriophages, with evenly spaced retractable limbs and a huge cylindrical turret-like head made of translucent yellow crystal.

"A mine, Mr Spock? Is this some kind of open mine?"

"That is a reasonable assumption, Captain," Spock agreed, pointing at the machines. "These machines could have been used to excavate this place, or the tunnels."

Spock had approached one of them already, stretching his long arms as close as possible to the alien machine to get tricorder readings without touching it.

"It is 22.2 meters tall, made of metallic and polycrystalline components. I fail to see any controls, so I assume it is not automatic, but rather controlled from the inside of the turret," Spock said.

"Do you mean that someone drives this thing?"

"Affirmative, Captain."

“It doesn’t look like an excavator at all.”

“There is a drill at the bottom.”

Kirk swallowed hard and looked around once more, trying to assimilate the surroundings. The machines were quite impressive, and the only thing around, so despite their strange looks it seemed inescapable to conclude that they had been used to drill the holes on the walls. The holes’ shape was too narrow though. It didn’t quite add up in his mind, but he accepted it. However, he couldn’t believe those were used in excavating the open mine they were in. There might be more machines elsewhere, he thought. Anyway, they could deal with that later. What really occupied his mind was the transporter device. What activated it? How did it work? The transport experience had been completely different from the way Federation transporters worked. They had seen space changing around them.

Spock’s mind seemed to be occupied by a similar concern, because he started reflecting aloud on the same topic.

“Captain, regarding the transporter device, if the communicator did not somehow activate it, there is only one other logical reason for its activation.” He paused briefly. “That someone or something transported to our point of origin precisely at that time.”

“And then accidentally transported us to _their_ point of origin,” Kirk finished the thought. “Before testing the communicator theory, I would rather investigate this area while we have sunlight. I’ll call Sulu. He might have seen what happened.”

Sulu picked up the communicator as soon as Kirk dialed. It was reassuring to know that the communicators still worked.

“I am not sure, sir. I did see the light, and then that you were gone. It was so bright I had to avert my eyes. But we’ll keep on the lookout in case we find someone.” That was all Sulu could tell them.

"It's all right, Mr Sulu. Remember, if you do find anyone, contact me immediately. And, at the first sign of trouble, get Scotty to beam both of you out of here. Kirk out."

He and Spock walked along the closest wall to analyze the holes drilled on it. Most of them were fairly shallow, more caves than tunnels. There was some writing on top of them, which Spock recorded and sent to the Enterprise.

“These writings here must have identification purposes, Captain.”

“Well, that does seem logical, doesn’t it, Mr Spock? I wonder what will you do if ever confronted with an irrational civilization.”

“An irrational civilization wouldn’t be this advanced.”

“But, there is nothing in them, if your tricorder and I are not mistaken. What is the point of this rational civilization of yours in excavating such caves if nothing is to be kept in them?”

“Well, Captain. Just because we do not understand a fact yet, that does not mean that it is illogical.”

Kirk laughed. He knew he was never going to win an argument with his first officer, but he just couldn’t stop trying.

“Captain, this cave here is not like the others. This one goes deeper into the ground.”

“A tunnel?”

“Affirmative.”

“We’ll need some lights to go in.” Kirk hailed Scotty again and ordered a pair of flashlights to be beamed down. Sierra and Dupont were still missing.

“We cannot pick up any humanoid biosignals other than Lt. Sulu’s, Dr Trivedi’s, Mr Spock’s and yours, sir. Either they’ve got into a place that shields them from our sensors, or they are…”

Kirk didn’t let Scotty finish the sentence.

“Are you sure? We believe… there might be someone else on this planet.”

“Our sensors are in excellent condition, Captain. I checked them up myself, and they detect nothing else.”

“All right, Scotty, keep trying. How are those writings we sent over going, Lt Uhura?”

“Sir,” her voice cut through Scotty. “The last writings you sent seem to be identification codes. Numbers and letters in a continuing series. I just can’t figure out what they are identifying. There is also a diamond symbol repeated in all of them and in the writings sent previously, usually at the beginning, but I am yet to establish what it means. This writing system seems a mixture of semanto-phonetic and alphabetical systems. That makes deciphering it fairly complex.”

“Lieutenant, are you by chance referring to the rhombus?” Spock asked.

“Yes, Mr Spock.”

Kirk looked at Spock, waiting for a commentary, an explanation to the symbol he might have worked out in his mind. However, it seemed his first officer had nothing else to say.

“Hm. I see. Lieutenant, continue trying to decipher it, and call us if you do. Scotty, we’re going into the tunnel. At the first sign of trouble up there, beam all of us up and get out of here. Kirk out.”

Spock waited for the order to go into the tunnel, wherever it might take them. It wasn’t the first time they would go into the unknown together, and it certainly wouldn’t be the last. Occasions like this made Spock immensely satisfied with his choice to join Starfleet instead of the Vulcan Science Academy.

Kirk put the communicator away, handed Spock one of the flashlights, and they went in.

The passage widened after the narrow entrance, its walls and floor smooth and polished. It seemed untouched by time — how, they couldn’t say. It went on in a straight line into the planet’s crust. After 9 minutes and 23 seconds of silent walk, their flashlights lighted upon a carved arch. Two impressive figures of humanoid-like creatures wearing armors, highly abstracted with angular features, were carved on each side. They were holding what seemed like spears. On top of the arch a rhombus was carved, a bigger version of the symbol they had already seen on the planet. Again, the entire structure looked as if it had just been built.

Kirk and Spock continued into the now slightly sloping tunnel. The last rays of sunlight coming from the entrance faded out and they became entirely dependent on their flashlights. They walked in the dark and in silence—even Spock’s Vulcan ears could only hear their own steps and breathing. When they finally arrived at a room, Spock had to look in the tricorder how much time had elapsed since they crossed the arch. His usual sense of time had been dimmed by the dark and quietness of the place.

The room had high ceilings and murals painted on the walls. Four, to be exact. They depicted female figures in different positions, garments and colors. The first three figures, each one colored in shades of white, yellow and blue respectively, seemed to be floating in space and had several spheres around them and in their hands. In contrast, the last one was painted in shades of pink, seemed to be bursting from the ground and had only a single sphere in her hand. All of them wore a rhombus shaped ornament.

Four operating stations occupied the center of the room, panels and screens floating on thin air. There was a hexagonal door on each of the three surrounding walls.

“Spock, what do you make out of this place?”

“It appears to be a control room of some kind, Captain.”

“And the murals?”

“Well, depiction of authority figures in places of power is common. Therefore, these are either goddesses or rulers. Definitely the species who built this place owed them allegiance.” Spock observed the one with more spheres, painted in white and grey colors. “I am inclined to say these were the rulers. These spheres are probably the planets each of them controlled. And their moons.” He turned to the one with only one planet.

“What about this one?” Kirk asked.

“I fail to understand why someone with only one planet under their control is depicted in the same way, size and style, as other rulers with dozens of colonies.”

“Diplomatic reasons, maybe? An attempt not to belittle a powerful figure, even if it is not as powerful as the rest.”

“I agree with that statement. But why would a ruler like that one, with sixteen planets and their moons under their command, care about the self-esteem of one of their species that ruled only one planet?”

“Well, I don’t know Spock, did it occur to you that they may be related? You know, a ruling family is a common way of government.”

Spock turned his head towards Kirk and raised an eyebrow.

“That is logical, Captain. A monarchy. Therefore an authoritarian rule. Consistent with what we have encountered in this system.”

Kirk approached one of the control stations. The flat surface had no buttons at all, but small screens. His fingers lingered on one of them, considering whether it was safe to touch them or not. Spock noticed his captain’s dilemma and went over to analyze the station with the tricoder.

“There is no energy source. I would say it is safe to touch.”

Kirk let his hand fall on the smooth surface. It was cold. He ran his hands on the panel, trying to figure out how it would work.

“What source of energy could they use here, so deep underground?”

“Fascinating question. Maybe one of these doors could tell us more about it.”

They approached one of them. Again, a rhombus was carved on top of it. The doors themselves were decorated in geometrical patterns. Trying to force it open didn’t work.

“There is a panel here on the right. It may be the key to open the door.”

“Great, can you do it?”

“It doesn’t seem to work mechanically. It is just a screen, like on the stations.” Spock touched it but nothing happened. It seemed to be made of glass. He pointed the flashlight directly on it. Maybe he could see through it. The screen flickered. A reflection, he thought. Unless…

“Captain, please give me your flashlight.”

Kirk was tempted to ask what for, but he knew better than to question his science officer, and handed him the flashlight. Spock directed the light to the screen. The flicker grew in intensity, flaring in sparkling colors, until four rhombi appeared: white, yellow, blue and pink, forming themselves another, bigger, rhombus.

“Spock! You’ve made it work! How?”

“It’s the light. Or rather, photons.”

“Now, how do we open it?”

“Please hold one of the flashlights.” With his free hand Spock touched the first symbol, which produced a delicate note that echoed in the room. He then touched each of the rhombi once, in a pattern, but nothing happened. Frowning, he tried again, this time changing the order. Again, nothing happened.

“Sixteen, thirteen, eight, one,” he mumbled, still frowning. “It _is_ correct.” He tried once more the same pattern he had tried first, but this time he repeated it backwards, echoing a sweet melody that was immediately followed by the rumble of the doors opening.

Kirk’s amazement was clearly painted on his face.

“Music, Spock?”

“Logic, Captain. I had thought the rhombus had some importance to this alien culture due to its prevalence in their writing and decorations. Each one of the four rulers in the murals displays this symbol and here in the opening mechanism we have it again. As I understand, the symbol must be a representation of the alien rulers. Authoritarian rulers, even if related, follow a clear hierarchy based on power. The first one had to be the one with most planets, the white one, and so on. White, yellow, blue, pink. That would be the logical order and the pattern to operate this mechanism. When my first attempt failed, I tried the opposite order, just in case, but it didn’t work either. So I tried the most probable next combination and it worked. Quite simple, actually. If they had wanted to keep people away from here, they would have made it harder.”

Kirk, beaming, put a hand on Spock’s shoulder and squeezed slightly before letting go.

“Let’s see what’s inside.”

***

This was a much smaller room, with no paintings on the walls. There was a huge station in the middle of it, and a big screen, both floating in the air, like the ones they had seen in the previous room. There was nothing else.

“These people didn’t like to sit down,” Kirk noticed. He moved along the station. “Can you make it work?”

Spock was looking into his tricorder.

“This is a bigger mechanism. It would need a stronger source of light.”

“Well, that can be solved.” He took out the communicator and hailed the Enterprise. No signal came. “We must be too deep underground. I’ll go back to the surface and ask Scotty to beam down the most powerful flashlight aboard the ship. Keep analyzing this place.”

“I will do so.”

Kirk left promptly, leaving Spock alone with the alien tech. He practically ran towards the entryway. Spock had been deemed the best first officer in Starfleet before, but he was also the best science officer, he thought. Who else could have opened that door? Who else would understand a piece of alien technology so straightforwardly? He didn’t know any other Starfleet officer as perceptive as Spock. Kirk was sure that whatever mysteries the place was hiding, the Vulcan would unveil them all. What would he do without him, after their five year mission? That was a thought that had started to trouble him.

As soon as he passed the arch, he tried to hail the Enterprise again. It worked.

“Scott here, Captain.”

“Scotty, we’ve found some kind of control room down here, and light is the only thing that makes it work. We need the best flashlight you can send us.”

“I’m sending it right away, sir.”

“Any news of Dr Sierra and Lt Dupont?”

“I’m afraid not.”

“Hm. Prepare a small landing party with two security officers. Beam them down at their last known location to search for clues. Don’t let them stray far. We’ll be down here a bit longer. Kirk out.”

A minute later, a flashlight materialized at his feet. He picked it up and clicked the switch—the tunnel behind him turned white, and he had to cover his eyes with his arm. He switched it off. It was more than enough to turn the entire control room on at once.

Meanwhile, Spock was again looking at the murals, waiting for his captain to return with the new flashlight. He observed the stylized female figures, their features abstracted into perfectly balanced geometrical shapes. Like the statues in the arch they had seen before. He recalled his Interstellar Ethnology courses at the Academy. Non-naturalistic art was common in authoritarian regimes that regarded the cosmos in black-and-white categories of good and evil, where the regime signified perfection in an otherwise chaotic and ugly environment. Such perfection was suggested in the control of the geometric patterns—through which the rulers liked to pose as spiritual and timeless monarchs taking to mythic proportions.

Where were these perfect, eternal rulers now? Were they really eternal? Were they really perfect? Their technology seemed light years into the future compared to the Federation’s. As far as he had come to know them from his analysis, they were a very logical and ordered species. He found himself wishing he could meet them when Kirk arrived panting with the flashlight.

“Close your eyes, Spock!” he yelled, before switching it on and filling the room with light. Spock hardly had time to do as the captain said. He heard a laugh and saw the brightness dim through his double eyelids.

“You can open your eyes now. I lowered the setting.”

Opening one eye first, and then the other, Spock turned towards his smiling captain. He considered showing slight annoyance, like raising his eyebrow, to prevent such an incident from happening again, but finally decided against it. It would be very un-Vulcan.

“I think the current setting will suffice to start the panel,” he said in a flat tone.

“Hey, I’m sorry, Spock. It was just a prank,” Kirk said, handing him the flashlight. How did he know? Spock quickly turned around, towards the second room. He had let nothing on. It appeared that, after their long acquaintance, Jim had learned how to read his face. He should be more careful.

Once in the next room and in front of the panel, he switched the flashlight on. The screen flared and the same four rhombi appeared. Repeating the movements and the melody, something unlocked and the entire station started blinking with colors and images. On the screen, the image of the planet appeared. All the mines were clearly indicated with different colors and symbols like the ones they had already found, plus some new ones. Spock handed the flashlight to Kirk, who had appeared at his side, while he took the tricorder to register the data.

Holding the tricorder with one hand, Spock raised his other hand towards the screen. He found he could move the image of the planet around. There was a blinking spot on the opposite side.

“I think that is our location, Captain.”

The writings and symbols kept changing as he turned the planet around. Surely there should be a menu of some kind to access other information, even if he wouldn’t be able to read it. Touching here and there, he let his fingers slide across the screen, which prompted the image to change. The new one showed one particular part of a mine, more alien writing, and the machines they had seen outside. But the ones on the screen were moving.

“I thought you said those things were driven by someone,” Kirk reminded him.

“I might have been wrong.”

“Or there are dozens of people from his species around, and we don’t see them.”

“It may be a recording from the past, Captain. Or a plan for the future. We do not know.”

Spock swiped his fingers again and again on the screen. New images appeared: several different types of female looking figures. A map of the tunnels they were in, leading deep down into the planet’s crust. A room like the one they were in. A machine, bigger, much bigger than the ones on the surface. A series of what seemed like buildings, towers and other structures, to be placed in different locations of the planet. Finally, the planet again, but utterly ravaged, turned into a hollowed carcass of itself, like the one they had seen before in the system.

Spock’s hand fell down at the sight of the last image. His eyes met Kirk’s, who was already looking at him, waiting. He didn’t quite find anything to say, so Kirk spoke first.

“I think we need to get back to the Enterprise.”

“But, all the other rooms, Jim. We still don’t know...”

“I think we’ve seen enough. For now. We may come back later if there is any need to.” Kirk conceded. “Our priority is to analyze what we have found so far, and find Dr Sierra and Lt Dupont before it is too late.”

They left the room. Spock gave one last glance to the murals before leaving towards the surface.

“Kirk to Enterprise.”

“Scott here, sir.”

“Two to beam up, Scotty.”

“Aye, sir.”

***

Back on the Enterprise, Kirk ordered Sulu and Dr Trivedi to be beamed aboard too. He called for a meeting in two hours, once they had time to do a full report and to have the samples and records from the planet analyzed in the lab.

Sitting on the bridge, waiting for the meeting, Kirk looked into the viewscreen. The planet they had just been to floated peacefully in space absolutely undisturbed. From the Enterprise, the idea that it could be torn into pieces seemed far fetched. However, they knew it could happen, that it had already happened. That it would happen again.

After what they had seen there, it was crucial to determine the nature and exact status of the species that had built the mines and destroyed two planets to inform Starfleet and devise an appropriate course of action. Kirk was also concerned about the possibility of first contact with such an advanced race which might be hostile and undetectable by their sensors, and about the disappearance of his two officers.

There were just too many questions, and very few answers.

“Spock to Captain Kirk.”

“Kirk here. What is it, Mr Spock?”

“Lt Uhura and I have been able to decipher some of the writings found on the planet, Captain.”

“And?”

“Well, it seems this system has been claimed by a race that calls themselves ‘Gems’ at an undetermined date in the past. The planet we visited is denominated X7GN3L and is under the rule of Yellow Diamond.”

“Yellow Diamond?” Spock could hear Kirk’s smile through the comm.

“Lieutenant Uhura has translated the title as such and I agree with her translation.”

“Anything else?”

“We are still trying to translate the rest, sir,” said Uhura. “There is very little context for the other writings. It is taking us longer.”

“All right, Lieutenant. The meeting is in an hour. You'll give me a full report on whatever you’ve found then.”

“Aye, sir.”

The turbolift opened, letting Dr McCoy in.

“Jim, what’s going on?” he asked.

“Bones, can’t you wait for the meeting?”

“No, I can’t, Jim. Two men are down there missing and probably needing medical attention. I know you’re not gonna let them rot there. So, what’s your next move?”

“Well, as you know, I’m planning to have a meeting to learn everything from that planet that may help us in finding those men. You wouldn’t want me to go blind, would you?”

“Of course not, Jim! I’m just… I want to beam down with you when you go search for them.”

“You will, Bones. You will.”

***

The meeting started on time. The briefing room was crowded with the heads of all departments and everyone was clearly anxious—except Spock, whose voice and gestures did not betray any feeling.

“Ladies and gentlemen,” Kirk said in a solemn voice. “You have all read the reports. You have analyzed the samples. Not only the two lives of Dr Sierra and Lt Dupont are at stake here, but also the entire Alpha and Beta Quadrants, if this species is allowed to continue its work. We must find out everything we can about them and about how to confront them. I need answers, and I need them now.” Everybody nodded in agreement. “Dr Trivedi, tell us about your findings. Have you been able to establish if the two shattered planets we found before harbored organic life?”

“I’m afraid I have not been able to establish that, Captain. You see, the organic life on the planet is dying away. The alien-made structures we have found on the planet are incompatible with organic life. It kills them by poisoning some key proteins that result in the disintegration of their DNA. That is why nothing grows in the abandoned buildings, and why both plant and animal life shies away from them. Mr Sulu and I had to walk at least 5 miles to find anything bigger than a squirrel. If what happened to those two planets is in any way similar to what is happening to this one, whatever organic life they might have had will not show on any scan.”

“Since those structures had been there for thousands of years, the plants and animals should have been able to develop some kind of immunity to whatever effect they have on them. Is that not the case, Dr Trivedi?” Spock asked, curious.

“Our tests indicate they don’t, sir. I know it is difficult to believe that mere rocks can kill life like that but, that’s what our instruments show.”

“I believe you, Dr Trivedi. I am merely implying that there may be something else at work here than mere old alien-carved rocks.”

“Explain, Mr Spock.” It was an order.

“Captain, the fact that the control room and that the transported device worked suggests that this planet is not abandoned.”

“Elaborate.”

“Allow me to show you some visuals.” Spock introduced a tape in the computer that showed an image of the planet and a location. “The place where we accidentally transported on the planet was located here. We had originally beamed down here.” The dot indicating the location changed position. “That is about 3,000 km from our original landing point.”

“That’s… quite far.” Kirk said.

“Indeed, Captain. The transport we experienced was also radically different from how our own transporters work. There was no disintegration, space moved around us. Moreover, I calculated we transported at the speed of light. From what we registered on the control room’s station, we have surmised that an entire network of such transporters exists on this planet.”

“In the control room we determined that photons were essential to make the alien technology work. Therefore, we could not have activated the transporter device ourselves unaware in any way: someone happened to transport to our location at the exact same time, taking us accidentally back to where they came from.”

“Isn’t that rather serendipitous, Mr Spock?” McCoy teased.

“It is not, doctor. It is simply the logical explanation.”

“What else do you have?” Kirk asked.

“This species calls themselves ‘Gems’. The translation of the first writing we found, on the original transporter platform, says: ‘Welcome to Colony X7GN3L belonging to Her Radiance Yellow Diamond.’” Spock noticed the eyes of the officers widening 0.2 mm, a clear sign of disbelief in humans.

“Her _Radiance Yellow Diamond_?”

“Sir, that is my translation.” Uhura intervened. “The rhombus symbol found at different locations was determined by Mr Spock as the representation of the rulers of this species. Whenever it is used in writing, there is a line next to the left side of the rhombus. The yellow rhombus is positioned on the left in the alien computers, and in the murals you found there is a yellow ruler. My initial evaluation of the symbol’s shape was that it represented a diamond, like the lozenge in a suit of cards. The aliens call themselves ‘Gems’, so it makes sense that their rulers are called ‘Diamonds’, for obvious reasons. The original text on the transporter platform added a seemingly redundant word, probably an epithet. Since we know that they call their rulers ‘Diamonds’, ‘radiance’ seemed an adequate approximation.”

“I see, Lieutenant. Please, continue.”

“Captain, no writing was found at the platform inside the mine.” Spock took over. “Therefore, I believe that the first platform is at the center of the entire transporter network. That would make it a suitable location where to land a spaceship. The alien must have returned to their ship at that moment.”

“So they can travel anywhere to do whatever they are doing. However, we didn’t find a spaceship in the surroundings.” Kirk pointed out. “And we didn’t see anyone. Neither did our sensors. How do you explain that, Mr Spock?”

“That is another question, Captain,” Spock said, taking out the tape and introducing a new one into the computer. On the screens, several different chemical compounds appeared. “As you may remember, I noticed that the platform’s material was a quite unique form of pure quartz that can only be made artificially. The other devices we found in the mines and tunnels are also made of very uncommon artificial minerals, some of them unknown to us. Our sensors were simply not tuned to detect these substances. Once I understood this, I started a search for them. And I found it, a spaceship. It is not far from where Dr Sierra and Lt Dupont were last located.” Spock clicked a button and changed the image shown on the screens. A huge green hand appeared, lying in the midst of the alien trees.

“Mr Spock! That looks like the hand of that alien who claimed to be the Greek god Apollo!” Scotty remarked.

“Indeed. There is more, Captain. From the images on the screen from the control room, we have understood, at least partly, the purpose of this place.”

“Please, illuminate us.”

“This planet is used as a breeding place. The alien species uses the mineral properties of the soil to produce minerals.”

“A breeding place, Spock?” McCoy rolled his eyes. “How can minerals breed? You surely mean extract.”

“Negative, doctor. I mean breeding. According to my evaluation of the data, we are dealing with an inorganic race that thrives on minerals and are probably minerals themselves. They call themselves ‘Gems’. They master the production of artificial minerals. Their rulers are named ‘Diamonds’. All evidence indicates that is not merely a title. The mines are used to incubate and breed more individuals. That explains why there are so many shallow caves. Nothing is to be put in them, Captain. Once the individual has completed the incubation period, they come out. The writing on each of the caves is the ID of each individual. This theory is also consistent with the use of light in their technology. We know that minerals can absorb, reflect, refract and transmit light. Therefore, if evolved, they could manipulate it.”

“Well, Mr Spock, that was very... illuminating.” Kirk blinked. He could not even start to fathom how to tackle a race of space rocks. “Dr Trivedi, you’re our head xenobiologist. What do you think of Mr Spock’s theory?”

“If he is correct, this is an entirely new type of alien species.” Her thrill at the idea of a completely new field of study was clear in her tone. “If you are asking me if it is possible—well, we know that there is silicon-based life. In fact, it was Mr Spock himself who discovered its existence—the Horta, as you probably remember. We know of shapeshifter species whose physiology, so to speak, is still an enigma to us. We know of species who live in a spirit-like form as well as in a physical-like form. In my opinion, Mr Spock’s theory is entirely plausible and his exposition was flawlessly logical.”

“Thank you, Dr Trivedi.” Spock tilted his head just enough to make the gesture perceptible. She smiled back.

“Scotty, what has been found about the location of Dr Sierra and Lt Dupont?”

“Captain, the security team we beamed down recovered their communicators and phasers. These were found not far from each other. The last steps were found about 500 m eastwards from where you left them.”

“That is towards where the sensors found the spaceship,” Spock noted. “What about Dr Sierra’s tricorder? Has it been found?”

“I’m afraid not, sir.”

Spock narrowed his eyes.

“What’s wrong, Mr Spock?” Kirk asked.

“If the tricorder had been found, we could have extracted valuable data, perhaps even information about the aliens. However, it hasn’t been found. It must have been taken away.”

“Well, we know what to do. Mr Spock, Dr McCoy, you’ll accompany me to the planet’s surface. Standard equipment. We’ll find the doctor and the lieutenant. Scotty, you have the bridge.”

“Aye, sir”.

Everyone stood up to go back to their posts. Spock and McCoy followed Kirk to the transporter room.

“Jim, if these aliens are indeed minerals, will phasers work against them if we have to use them?” asked McCoy.

“That… I’m afraid we won’t know until we have to, Bones.”

They arrived at the transporter room, where Scotty was already waiting for them. Uhura was there with a universal translator in her hand. She approached Spock and handed it to him.

“Sir, I have introduced in the program all we know about the alien language. Hopefully it will work. It may need adjustments, though.”

“Thank you, Lieutenant. I am sure it will function efficiently. ”

The three men climbed on the transporter pad, ready to find the missing officers and take them back to the Enterprise.

“Energize.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Link to Fandom's page on the Gem Warship (definitely inspired in that Star Trek TOS Episode "Who mourns for Adonais?") https://steven-universe.fandom.com/wiki/Gem_Warship
> 
> You can see the Diamond Authority's mural as in the initial designs by the designer https://joethejohnston.tumblr.com/post/148745347778/these-are-the-initial-diamond-mural-designs-that-i
> 
> The Diamonds' emblem formed by the four rhombi https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/steven-universe/images/9/94/Diamond_Authority_symbol_previous.png/revision/latest?cb=20170716175434


	3. The green hand

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Peridot and Jasper argue about their mission on Colony X7GN3L. Peridot discovers what is a tricorder.
> 
> Kirk, Spock and Bones beam down to what seems to be a huge green hand but is actually an alien spaceship in search of their missing fellow officers.
> 
> Not everything turns out as expected.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The Enterprise, communicators, tricorders, etc., all keep functioning perfectly, and for once, doctor McCoy doesn't say "Jim, this man is dead."
> 
> There are several changes of POV I hope it's not confusing.

“Log Date 7 243 4. We have successfully finished the repairs on Kindergarten B, where the injectors are currently engaged at work. The production on Kindergarten A is on schedule. The first batch of quartzes will emerge soon. Surprisingly, we found some large bipedal organic creatures with two upper limb appendages and binocular vision in the proximity of our ship. We haven’t detected any other similar creature on the planet, neither are there records of it. They were armed with primitive particle weapons that must be deadly for other organics, quite harmless to us. We have taken them into custody for research and to prevent them from disclosing our location to others like them, should there be more. We have also taken a black box that one of them carried, the purpose of which is still unknown.”

Peridot turned off the recorder and let it float leisurely near her head.

“Why are you keeping them in captivity?”

“I told you already, Jasper. I want to study them. We don’t have records of such kind of creatures on this planet,” Peridot replied.

Jasper looked at the lanky figures that lay unconscious behind the force field beams. Their pallid ugly faces and all that soft matter around them disturbed her.

“They have nothing to do with our mission here. You are delaying us with no purpose. Our diamond’s orders are very clear, and they…”

“And they include a survey of the planet’s status. I know my orders as well as you do, Jasper.”

“Ugh. They’re so ugly.”

“Well, then stop looking at them and let me work!” said Peridot. She was fumbling with the black box with a long strap. “I wonder what this is for.”

“This is boring. I’m going out to workout. I’m getting rusty among so many old machines.”

“Good, get out! And don’t knock down any tree or throw a stone on top of the ship again!” Peridot yelled at her.

Glad to get rid of the belligerent Jasper, Peridot went to her workshop to continue dissecting the black box. She peeled layer after layer of the device until she had all the components lying on top of the table.

After 23 minutes of deliberate study, she concluded that the box contained at least a camera, a sensor, and a computer. Primitive, but efficient. The creatures had been recording some images and data of the planet’s surface, including its vegetation, animal life and geological characteristics. Why would they be recording that? Surely they would know how their planet was—unless they had recently developed an intelligence capable of the study of science. Thinking of them, she decided that was most probably the case.

Well, so much for the survey. As much as she hated to admit it, Jasper was right. They did have a job to do and, although she wanted to study the specimens, she could always do that on the way back to Homeworld. She had already indulged herself in her curiosity about the black box. Awakening the kindergartens was urgent and it would take time they couldn’t spare. She had to get back to work.

Peridot left the ship and started looking for her companion.

***

The green hand—the alien spaceship—lay in a valley densely covered with native trees. Kirk, Spock and McCoy materialized next to it.The ship was much smaller than the Enterprise, Kirk thought. He also found the shape uncanny. His gut told him they’d better hurry.

“Do you detect any lifeforms?” he asked.

“No, Captain,” Spock said, looking at the tricorder.

“Surely a ship needs a pilot. How come we detect nothing?” McCoy looked around, as if an alien was bound to appear beside them.

““The universe still contains infinite unknowns, doctor. Our sensors only detect what they are programmed to detect. We have identified the materials they use in construction, but the aliens’ physiological structure may be such that our sensors are not designed to detect it.”

“However, they have hands like we do,” McCoy noted, pointing at the huge hand spaceship. “In fact, in those paintings of women you found down in that tunnel, they looked humanoid to me.”

“They may appear so,” Spock said.

“But, Mr Spock?” said McCoy teasingly. Spock didn't reply. “See, Spock, it’s not like I doubt your science but, how can minerals look like humanoid females and have hands?”

“Gentlemen, please. Can we discuss this later? We’re going in. Set phasers on stun.”

“In how, Jim? How are we gonna enter _a hand_?”

“We’ll find a way, Bones. Let’s look around.”

They walked around the perimeter of the spaceship. The surface looked like polished glass—they could even see their reflection on the surface. Spock murmured ' _fascinating_ ' to himself a couple of times while surveying the ship. Finally, at what would be the wrist, they found an horizontal opening, big enough for them to enter. They climbed up one by one. A rectangular green and bright corridor extended in front of them. Inside, the walls and the floors looked exactly the same as the exterior — smooth green mirrors. The corridors were lit up with a soft yellowish light coming from the long yellow pipes that spread along the ceiling and forward into the ship. Even after some minutes walking, there was no one to be seen.

“No crew?” Kirk was astonished. “Can it all be automatic?”

“With a computer system sophisticated enough, most ship functions could be fully automated. Probably they work with a skeleton crew," Spock said. "Captain, I am picking up life signals. They appear to be Dr Sierra’s and Lt Dupont’s.”

“Anything else?”

“Negative. It seems this ship has some kind of shield that scrambled our sensors before. Now that we are inside it, I can read their biosignals clearly. But there is no one else—apart from us, of course.”

“Take us where they are.”

They continued along the corridors, following Spock, taking turn after turn until they finally arrived at a long corridor with what seemed to be individual cells — the brig. Two of them were activated, a yellow beam covering the entrance.

“Dr Sierra! Lieutenant! Are you all right?” Kirk asked. “Bones.”

McCoy was already kneeling down beside them, mere centimetres from the beam, taking readings.

“These men are alive, Jim. Simply unconscious.”

“Can we take them out of their cells?”

“Unknown, Captain. There seems to be some kind of force field; however, its nature seems different from our own. I am unable to predict how it will react,” Spock replied.

“I’m taking a chance.”

“Captain, I am more resistant to shocks and I am able to extricate myself from the feeling of pain. Moreover, I can recover more quickly,” Spock said. “Therefore, I request…”

“No, Spock, I’ll do it.” Kirk’s eyes gleamed with determination. But so did Spock’s. He placed his hand on Kirk’s shoulder.

“You must see the logic of it.”

“I won’t risk the life of any of my officers.”

“It is my duty to safeguard the captain’s life.” Spock’s hand increased its pressure, but Kirk quickly pushed it away.

“You’re not nerve pinching me, Spock.”

“I would not do that, Captain.” Spock stepped back and clasped his hands behind his back, away from Kirk. “Perhaps we can try to neutralize the force fields from the ship’s computer. We need to find the control room.”

“Spock’s right, Jimmy,” Bones said.

“That will take a time we may not have. Think about it, what if it doesn’t affect us? These aliens are different from us, we cannot even detect them nor see them, as far as we know. This ship was made for them, surely these cells are also prepared to contain their own kind. If they are indeed of mineral nature, it may be completely harmless for us,” Kirk argued.

“Dr Sierra and Lt Dupont are currently unconscious. It may be the effect of the force field."

“Well, if that’s all it does, I’m sure Bones can get me back on my feet in a moment, can’t you Bones?”

“I can Jim, but…”

“It’s settled then.”

“Jim, you are essential to the Enterprise,” Spock pleaded.

Kirk stared at him.

“No, Spock, you are essential to the Enterprise, and to this ‘mission’ we have found ourselves into. Without you, we would have been completely blind as to what was going on here. We all need you intact and operative. I’m the Captain, and this is my decision to make.”

Spock and McCoy exchanged a quick look. The battle was lost. Kirk stepped forward and raised his right arm towards the beam, and then stretched out his hand to touch it.

An electric blast flung him against the wall.

“Jim!”

Both run towards him. While McCoy took his tricorder out to scan his life signals, Spock pulled him up, carefully holding Kirk’s nape with one hand and taking the injured hand with another. It was badly burnt, up to the wrist, and probably further too. Would there be a scar? The pain was excruciating—Spock could barely contain it from extending all over his own mind at first. Had it been him, he could have disconnected his mind from the pain receptors in his brain, but Jim… He had followed orders. But this had been an order he shouldn’t have followed. It was his duty as first officer to protect the captain. He had failed to do his duty, but it wouldn’t happen again.

“He’s unconscious, Spock. Thank god he still breathes. There may be more internal damage. We need to get him back to the Enterprise, now. I can’t do anything for him here. Help me get him up and out of this damn ship.” They draped the captain’s arms around their shoulders and balanced him along the corridors until they reached the entrance without speaking another word. McCoy called Scotty to beam him and the captain up.

“Get them out and come back soon,” the doctor said before disappearing with Kirk.

***

Spock was left alone in the alien spaceship. It was clear that the only logical course of action was to disable the force field. The tricorder did not indicate the existence of any controlling mechanism near the cells. Therefore he would have to either hack the ship’s main computer or tamper the ship’s energy source. A ship required both an engineering room where the power generating system would be controlled, and a bridge, from where the ship would be run, and where the main computer had more probabilities of being located. If he could find any of those sections, he would be able to free the doctor and the lieutenant and return to the Enterprise.

He turned around, into the ship. He traced the tubes spread along the ceiling. His guess was their origin would take him to either engineering or the bridge. The probabilities were 1000 to 1. The tubes could also be used for ventilation, light, or some other purpose that the aliens required for life support — even in that case, the exploration would probably bear fruit. On the way, he recorded the seemingly identical corridors until he arrived at a large round atrium with a transparent glass ceiling. The sun was high up in the sky. He knew that the rotation period of this planet was 5 hours shorter than Earth's, so Evening would come soon. Five corridors branched off from the atrium — logically, one for each finger. The pipes circled the ceiling before going their own way into the different corridors. Except, some of them seemed to lead to a floor below. The odds that it would be the engine room were 5 to 1.

He just had to find his way down.

***

Back on the Enterprise, McCoy set Kirk up in sickbay as soon as he arrived. The burnt hand didn’t look good and, what was worse, he wouldn’t be sure the nerves hadn’t been affected until he woke up—but first he needed to operate to repair any internal damage.

“Nurse, prepare for surgery.”

***

Kindergarten C was in bad shape. The thousands of years of abandonment hadn’t damaged the machines and equipment left, but the planet’s geology had changed substantially and that particular kindergarten was fairly eroded. They would need to drill again so as to be able to tap the resources of the crust. In addition, the vintage technology didn’t work as well as the one Peridot was used to work with. She would have to spend at least an entire cycle just updating the computers’ operating system. Not to mention the injectors’ AI.

It wasn’t like Peridot disliked the tasks at hand. Quite the contrary, she enjoyed tinkering with the old Era 1 tech. Any tech, actually. That was what she had been created for: to manage kindergartens, supervise the machines at work and produce the best gems a planet could offer. She just wished the circumstances had been different.

The last time she had been in a war was 300 years ago, when she had been the leader of a rebel group of gems—at least, temporarily the leader. But that war had been completely different from the one they were in now. 300 years ago it was her, 6 other gems, one organic and Steven, their half-gem half-organic leader, against three Diamonds. In retrospect, it hadn’t been a war at all, even though back then it felt like one. This one was different. This one wasn’t about a planet’s domination or revenge on Pink Diamond’s killer. This war was about the survival of their species. Not winning it meant death.

She’d better start upgrading those computers.

***

Spock found what looked like a maintenance duct that spread parallel to the pipes and corridors of the ship — and that, to his satisfaction, also went downwards. The duct was quite narrow, and despite his lean frame, his arms and knees were thoroughly scratched by the time he reached the end. He emerged from a rectangular opening on the wall to the engineering section of the spaceship.

This engineering room was like nothing he had ever seen. He expected at least some machinery, as they had seen in the tunnel down in the mine. Instead, a huge bright disk dominated the room, from which all the pipes on the ship originated.

It was fascinating.

The tricorder readings showed that the disk was indeed the power source of the ship. It glowed and blazed, with small bursts at regular intervals. Pulses, Spock thought. Not dissimilar to a heart.

Had there been machines, something with which to interact, cables to tear up, he could have reduced the power of the engines enough so that the force fields went down. As it was, he had very limited options—actually, only one.He drew his phaser, aimed at the base, where the pipes connected with the disk, and fired.

A shower of sparks erupted—and died out. The light level dropped to 20%. The pipes flickered—some went out, some remained functional. The disk seemed undamaged. His work there was done. Time to go back to the cells.

Climbing up the duct again, he used his tricorder to search the exit closer to the cells, tracking the officers’ biosignals, like he had done before. He re-emerged two corridors away. The ship seemed still empty, except for himself.

The force fields that covered the cells’ doors were gone. Spock approached Dr Sierra first. He kneeled beside him and touched his temples softly. The doctor came around quickly.

“Mr Spock! Where...am I?” He leaned forward until he was sitting against the wall.

“You are in the brig of an alien spaceship. Can you recall what happened to you and Lt Dupont?”

“I—we were taking readings of the area, walking along the precipice when we heard voices…”

“Voices?”

“Yes—yes—two different, female voices—they… they were coming towards us. One of them was huge and the other very little...They spotted us first—the huge one attacked us. We hadn’t even taken out our phasers yet… She lifted us—both, like we weighed nothing—and then the little one, she came over—She reviewed our devices and threw them all away except the tricorder. She kept that. Then they took us to their ship...here.”

“Have you been harmed?”

“No, not really.” Dr Sierra took his hand to his head. He had a bump. “I think we alarmed them because we tried to speak with them but the universal translator didn’t work, we couldn’t understand anything they said. She knocked us out. The big one. I think she wanted us to shut up. But, I’m fine.” Spock helped him to stand up, and they went over Lt Dupont. Spock repeated the technique to bring him back to consciousness.

“Lieutenant, are you all right?”

“Sir...yes—dizzy…” Spock and Dr Sierra lifted him back to his feet.

“Let's go, we need to get out of the ship to go back to the Enterprise.”

***

The instruments clinked on the table beside the bed where doctor McCoy and nurse Chapel had finished operating Captain Kirk. The electric shock had caused some damages to his heart and liver that needed to be reversed before they turned worse. The burnt hand was also healed, although the skin was scarred in a lightning pattern, following the capillaries that carried the electricity. For it to be removed, Kirk would have to visit a more expert plastic surgeon—McCoy was a simple country doctor.

However, the scar wasn’t what worried him. That could be dealt with at any starbase. It was the possibility of nerve damage what really worried the doctor. Would Kirk be able to move his hand again? All fingers? Would he be able to feel with it, feel cold or heat? Kirk was heavily sedated. It would take him at least 8 hours to regain consciousness. Until then, all he could do was wait. And have some brandy.

“Christine, when you finish disinfecting the instruments, go and get some rest. He won’t need us for some time,” McCoy said.

“I can stay, doctor. You go get some rest.” She smiled. McCoy always needed to be reminded that he needed to rest too. “Like you said, he won’t be needing us for some time.”

“I don’t need rest. I just need a drink.”

He left the room and went over his cabinet in his office, where he kept the Saurian brandy and the glasses. Putting them on his desk, he realized that, out of habit, he had taken two glasses. He used to share a drink with Kirk from time to time.

“Nurse, come here and have a drink with me!”

Christine leaned out the door. “Why, doctor? You know I never drink while on duty…”

“Don’t make this old man drink alone, especially after having operated on his best friend.” He poured the brandy in the two glasses. Christine sighed and came into the office.

“Did I hear the word ‘drink’?” Scotty appeared at the main door.

“Come in, Scotty, you arrive at the perfect time.” McCoy took out another glass, and filled it up with the amber liquid.

“How’s the captain, doctor?” Scotty approached the table, hands clasped behind his back.

“He’ll make it. But, his hand...I don’t know.”

“What happened down there? Where’s Mr Spock?”

“We entered the alien ship. It was… well, so damn alien! Like a crystallized human hand, but green, and there are these yellow veins across it. We had never seen anything like it. And totally empty, no crew to speak of. Spock found the biosignals of the doctor and the lieutenant. They were in the brig, behind a force field of some kind. The Captain had this theory that since the species was non-organic, those cells wouldn’t be made for organics and therefore were probably safe for us. Spock tried to dissuade him. Believe me, they had quite an argument but, you know how stubborn the Captain can be.”

“Aye sir, I know.”

“Jim received an electric shock. There was some internal damage, luckily minimal. But his right hand suffered severe burns—it’s severely scarred and...we don’t know if it will be as it was.” McCoy took his glass and gulped the brandy down.

“And Mr Spock?” Christine asked.

“He stayed down there to free the doctor and the lieutenant,” he explained, while he poured himself another glass.

“He’s been down there for three hours, sir. We may have to beam down a security team.”

“We may, but not yet, Scotty. Don’t give up on Spock so soon. I’m sure he is fine. Come on, drink. For the Captain’s recovery, and for Spock’s return with the two officers.” He lifted his glass for the toast.

“I’ll drink to that, sir,” replied Scotty, finally taking his glass and lifting it. Christine nodded and did the same.

“Cheers.”

The comm buzzed.

“Bridge to Sickbay. Is Commander Scott there?”

“Aye, Lieutenant, I’m here.”

“Mr Spock hailed us, sir. He is asking to be beamed up immediately.”

“Right! I’ll be in the transporter room. Patch the comm through there! Scott out!”

“I’m coming too. Nurse.”

The three left running towards the transporter room. The two officers on duty there were already activating the transporter. The lights flashed and two figures slowly materialized from sparks into human flesh.

“Where’s Mr Spock?” Scotty asked them. Bones approached them with the tricoder.

“He… We don’t know, sir. He was with us.” Lieutenant Dupont looked behind him only to find the transported pads empty. “She must have got him.”

“Who?” Bones asked.

“The giant woman.”

**

Spock, Dr Sierra and Lt Dupont were climbing down from the alien ship when Peridot saw them. She shouted at Jasper, but she didn’t need to—the soldier was already running after them at her top speed.

Spock was the last one to climb down. He took his communicator and hailed the Enterprise while he ran away from the ship.

“Spock to Enterprise. Spock to Enterprise! Come in! We need to beam up now!”

He heard Uhura reply something he couldn’t grasp. He focused on running. The humans could run so much faster than he could. They were putting quite a distance between themselves and the ship, whereas he was lagging behind. The huge woman was at his heels. She was so close he could hear her laugh ringing in his ears. Suddenly he felt a pain in his left foot and saw his own body falling down. He was about to hit the ground when two firm hands scooped him up like he was a feather.

The woman said something in her language, an exclamation of victory, her voice wild and hoarse, relishing the fact that he had been caught. She ripped the communicator from his hand and threw it away. She did the same with his phaser.

He heard another voice. The other woman must have arrived, he thought. She was berating the big one. For some reason, he was allowed to keep the tricorder and the universal translator device. He was being carried away to the alien spaceship. He turned his head around, looking for the two men, and saw them de-materialize as they kept running away and the ships’ gates closed on him.

All Spock could see now was a green expanse of polished glass.


	4. Know your enemy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Spock meets the Gems.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally, a new chapter! It features Jasper and Peridot more extensively, and we get to know more about Gem culture.

The two aliens were arguing loudly. Spock could hear them while they walked. He was being carried into the alien ship over the shoulder of the tallest of the two, head and feet hanging. Better not to protest. The little green one raised her voice to a shrill cry. Most probably because of what he had done. She must have realized by now that there was something wrong with the ship. He had blasted the base of their power source and damaged the network of conduits that took energy around. They would be unable to put him in a cell, nor for a while at least, not until they got the power back up. A most fortunate side effect.

The argument between them seemed to heat up moment by moment. Hopefully, Lt Uhura’s detailed programming would allow the universal translator to work out the alien language. Its algorithm had been proven to work before in similar situations, even with non-organic alien languages, like in the Gamma Canaris region, where they had found a stranded Zefram Cochrane. It was just a matter of input. Fortunately, the two aliens were speaking non-stop. Until the universal translator kicked in, it was hopeless to try to establish communication with them. Dr Sierra had warned him not to speak too much or too loud—the tall one hadn't liked the “noise” he made. There was no point in provoking them further.

In the meanwhile, there were other things to consider. First, track the route they were following into the ship. After his explorations to find engineering, he had gained an adequate grasp of the ship’s plan—he noted they were moving towards the atrium. Second, gather as much information as possible about the aliens. His tricorder. Yes, there it was, dangling precariously. He grabbed it and started analyzing the alien’s physiological structure.

Except, there wasn’t any to speak of. The tricorder readings were very clear. Behind him there were two small gemstones: one a combination of quartz and chalcedony, the other magnesium iron silicate. A jasper and a peridot. It also detected two separate force fields and high accumulation of photons within those force fields. Fascinating.

They reached the atrium when the universal translator finally kicked in.

“Soon. Maybe in two or three cycles. If only the Peridots would come out that soon. They could help me fix this mess. This one must have done it.”

“How can any of these things mess with our technology? They are… primitive.”

“Well, there is no other logical explanation. The other two were in their cells, you put them there. This one must have come looking for them. Then as he tried to get the others out of their cells, he must have damaged the ship enough to create this power shortage.”

“Affirmative,” Spock said, making the two women halt speechless. “My intention was indeed to free my fellow officers. If you would be so kind as to put me down, I may be able to help you repair your ship.”

The tall alien put him down immediately. She was 210 cm tall, bulky and muscular. She had long beige hair down to her waist. Tattoos adorned her face and two little green horns sprouted from her forehead. Her nose was a triangular jasper gem.

“You can talk!” she said.

“You can understand us!” The little alien was completely opposite to her companion. Barely 150 cm, slim and green, her hair was rhomboid and yellow. She wore a visor that covered most of her face, and had a peridot gem in the middle of her forehead. Spock straightened his shirt and raised his hand in the ta’al.

“I am Spock, First Officer of the starship Enterprise, representing the United Federation of Planets. We are on a peaceful exploration mission to chart this part of the galaxy. We were surveying this planet when we noticed two of our officers… disappeared.”

“How can you understand us? How can we understand you? What are you?” the little one demanded to know.

“This is a universal translator device, programmed with an adaptable algorithm,” he said, picking it up. “It has adjusted itself to your speech after receiving the appropriate input and some modifications on our part.” He saw how the little one grew excited. She jumped to snatch it from his hand, but he raised it out of her reach. “If this were to be damaged, we will not be able to continue communicating.”

“You look different from the other two,” said the tall one.

“I am Vulcan, whereas the two you captured before were humans. And you are…?”

“We’re gems. I’m Peridot, Facet-2F5L Cut-5XG, and this is Jasper.” Peridot crossed her forearms in an X shape in front of her, her hands upright, as a salute. Jasper huffed.

“Are you two native to this planet?”

“No, we’re here on orders of the Great Diamond Authority.”

“May I inquire into the nature of your mission on this planet?”

“This planet is an old colony of ours. We’re here to revive it,” Peridot explained. “We thought those other two, the ones you called ‘humans’, were natives. Our intention was simply to study them.” She looked at Jasper. “After all, our mission includes a survey of the current state of the colony.”

“I fail to understand what do you mean by ‘revive’ the planet. There is plenty of life on the planet. ”

“Planet? We’ll revive the colony.”

“Do you mean there are more of you living here?”

“Not yet, but soon. What about your people?”

“Not on the planet. There are more of us on the starship.”

“A starship? A real one, like this one?” It seemed as if she found it hard to believe.

“Affirmative, although not exactly like yours.” He wondered how much information he should give the Gems. He was not sure yet of their intentions. Gathering more data about them was essential. Peridot seemed curious and amenable to talking. She also eyed repeatedly the universal translator, and seemed interested in spaceships. He could use that to his advantage. “I find your technology fascinating. This spaceship is a wonder of engineering and design. Were you involved in its construction?”

“Me? Oh, no, well, I’m not made for that purpose. But I know it in and out, this isn’t my first. I wouldn’t have any other kind of ship anyway. Colony ships are outdated, Roaming Eyes are too small, most lack a proper lab. I wouldn’t trade this ship for anything.” Peridot’s voice and look when she talked about her ship reminded Spock of Captain Kirk. He wondered what his condition was. McCoy was a very good physician, the captain was in good hands. Still, he was eager to confirm his belief. In order to do that, he needed to recover his communicator. Indeed, that was of utmost importance. If he didn’t contact the ship, a security team would beam down to look for him, if not the captain himself. That would jeopardize his recovery. He could not allow that to happen. If he continued to show good will and managed to build rapport with the Gems, they would probably let him go. What a fascinating species. They could learn so much from them.

“Does it have a name?”

“War Ship 1026.”

“A war ship? At you at war?” His stomach jumped at the word. Was this what humans called a ‘hunch’?

Peridot was about to reply when Jasper cut in.

“We have been at war for a hundred years.” Her tone was fierce and proud again. The tone of a soldier.

“In that case, it is urgent that I help you repair the damage I did to your ship. Hopefully that would help establish a friendly relationship between us,” Spock said.

“What exactly did you do?” Peridot asked.

“I am afraid I destroyed some of the conduits that spread the energy to the ship’s systems. But the reactor is undamaged. It wasn’t my intention to disable your ship, only to free the officers under my command.”

“Hm. I’ll need to see that. Jasper, come, we may need your help.”

Peridot pressed her foot against the floor and a green bubble appeared, engulfed them all and then slided through the floor—through what a second before had been solid ground—taking them to the engine room.

“By the way, how did you say you got here?” Peridot’s voice raised brimming with questions.

***

In the Enterprise, the atmosphere was tense. The Captain was injured and the XO was missing, probably captured by an unknown alien race reportedly hostile. Dr Sierra and Lieutenant Dupont had given a full report to Commander Scott hours after McCoy had checked them in sickbay. They seemed perfectly all right; however, their tale was a bit difficult to believe. Scotty feared the concussions that had left them unconscious had done some damage to their brains. A giant woman? A little green girl? It all sounded like a plot taken from a 20th century Earth tv show.

What could he do? He couldn’t possibly leave Mr Spock down there. The reports had been useful—they had so much more information about the aliens now. Knowing that they would surely be attacked, this time they would be ready. The question was—did phasers work against them? That was a question still unanswered.

“Mr Chekov, any changes?” he asked.

“Nothing, sir. I’ve been monitoring closely but no one has left the ship. We still cannot read inside it.”

Nothing. Hours of nothing. No communications, no signals.... They had tried to hail Mr Spock but again they’d got nothing. The alien ship did not acknowledge any of their attempts to establish communication. If at least there was an enemy down there pointing their phaser banks at them he would know what to do! They hadn’t got even a threat. They behaved as if the Enterprise didn’t exist. This had never happened before. What were those aliens up to?

The turbolift opened to let McCoy in. He approached the high chair where Scotty was sitting.

“Any news?”

“No, doctor. All as quiet as a settin’ hen.”

“Whatcha gonna do, Scotty?

“Beam down another party. This time we will be ready. Nobody’s been killed yet, that’s a good sign.” He smiled trying to channel all his optimism towards the doctor’s gloomy face.

“They were lucky, Dr Sierra and the lieutenant. Hadn’t they been unconscious, they would probably have done the same the captain did, and now they would be dead. Spock is missing, he hasn’t contacted us…” McCoy closed his eyes and sighed. “Anyway. Scotty, the captain will wake up soon. If you don’t beam a team down now, he will.”

“Aye, doctor.” Scotty pressed a button on the side panel to contact Security. “Commander Scott here. I need a team of 5. We are rescuing Mr Spock. Meet me in the transporter room.”

***

In the end, there was nothing much Spock could do but explain his phaser’s settings and direction at the moment he fired. Peridot had summoned small flying robots she called robonoids and made a glass screen appear out of thin air which she used to direct the robots in the repairs. He simply stood there, observant, confirming his notion that the Gems had an extremely advanced technology based entirely on photonics and quantum mechanics. The Federation had a few development projects researching those particular fields, but its actual use in a starship was something still unthinkable, and would be so for many years. The Gems however, seemed to use little else. Not a single wire, breaker panel, or circuit board—only photons, that they shaped and conducted whichever way they needed through or within mineral structures and force fields.

If a species this advanced had been at war for a hundred years, Spock concluded, the enemy must be formidable.

***

Kirk woke up sitting besides a window looking over the sea. A patch of white sand stretched directly towards him. The sky was blue without any trace of clouds. His neck hurt—he must have fallen asleep in a bad position. He tried to move but the pain darted through his back. Better to take it easy.

“Captain, are you awake?” he heard Spock say somewhere near.

“Yes, I—where are we?” The room was unfamiliar, spacious, and didn’t smell like any place he knew.

“We’re on Altair 5, Captain. Are you all right?”

“Where’s the Enterprise?”

Kirk felt the couch sink. Spock must have sat next to him. He tried to turn his head around to look at him but the pain was still too strong.

“The Enterprise is in orbit. We beamed down yesterday on shore leave, don’t you remember?”

Shore leave? Yesterday? It was all a blur.

“I think I should call doctor McCoy.”

“No, no, it’s fine. I-I was dreaming… I can’t recall—this pain,” Kirk touched his neck, “it doesn’t let me think.”

“Let me help,” Spock said, taking Kirk’s hands away and starting to massage his neck gently. Kirk closed his eyes. It was soothing. Spock’s cool fingers worked up and down from the base of his skull to his shoulders. He felt he could move now, but it felt so good he didn’t want Spock to stop yet. It was so relaxing. He could sleep again. And he did.

***

Kirk woke up in the dark. He now had a headache. Up to his eyebrow, the entire left side of his skull hurt like hell. He tried calling Spock, but only a muffled sound came out.

“Captain?” Christine’s figure appeared at the door.

“Bones?” he managed to ask.

“He went to the Bridge. I’ll call him but first tell me, how are you feeling?”

“Headache,” he groaned.

“Well, we can do something about it while doctor McCoy arrives.” She gave him a pill and put a glass of water to his lips. “In fact, I’m surprised you have only a headache.”

He drank the water obediently and looked at her. What had happened? How long had he been in sick bay? Where was Spock? He was back on the Enterprise. He summoned the little energy he had recovered and muttered “What happened?”

“You suffered an electric shock on the alien ship. McCoy beamed up with you. We had to operate on you. It will take you some time to recover, Captain.”

Kirk remembered now. The green hand. The force field, the shock. The pain, and then nothing, until that dream, and this reality. He raised his hands to his throbbing temples to massage them and alleviate the pain. Medicine had advanced immensely since he was a child, but there still was nothing to cure headaches other than painkillers. The pressure in his left temple seemed to work. Did Vulcans get headaches too?

“Spock?” he asked.

Christine took a step back. She was thankful she hadn’t turned on the light, so that the Captain couldn’t see the expression on her face. “—He’s still on the planet, sir.”

“It’s alright, Christine, I’ll take it from here.”

“Yes, doctor.”

Bones came in and went directly to Kirk’s bedside.

“Bones, what… where…” Kirk’s voice trailed off. Damn headache. He couldn’t think properly.

“Before you start asking questions, tell me how are you feeling?”

“Headache.”

“You’re lucky to be alive, Jim. You had some serious internal injuries. But, thanks to me, you'll be as good as new. No, don’t move, don’t sit up. Did Nurse Chapel give you painkillers?”

Kirk nodded. “Doctor Sierra? Dupont? How?”

“They’re safe and sound, Jim. Spock rescued them.”

“Where’s he?”

“Captured. Scotty was about to beam them up when one of the aliens got him. He lost the signal. There was nothing we could do.”

“How many?”

“Aliens? The doctor and the lieutenant said there are only two. At least, they only saw two.”

“Communication?”

“Not yet. Spock doesn’t seem to have his communicator with him, and the alien ship ignores us, Jim.”

“Tell Scotty… to beam down a--”

“A rescue team? He’s done that already. Do not worry, Captain. We know how to run a ship too. Everything will be fine. Now, sleep.” Bones injected him before he could protest.

***

Spock had convinced Peridot to show him the ship’s bridge, despite Jasper’s misgivings. The soldier was suspicious, and didn’t share her companion’s interest in technology. Peridot enjoyed talking about her ship’s features and functions, unconcerned by the fact that she was sharing critical information with a practically unknown representative of a totally unknown civilization. If she was naive, or simply thought it was all beyond their comprehension, or if she was doing it all in good faith, Spock couldn’t tell.

So far he had managed to dodge most questions about himself, the Enterprise and the Federation, giving out basic information that wouldn’t have made much of a difference. Clearly, the two Gems saw him as inferior, as every time he demonstrated the understanding of an engineering or scientific concept Peridot raised her voice in excitement, while Jasper huffed and puffed about how boring the conversation was. They wouldn’t be interested in an exchange of technology. That was… unfortunate.

The bridge was a long narrow room, located in the index finger of the ship. There was only one chair—one pilot was enough to control it.

“So, I understand this is the main computer?” he asked, pointing at the console in the bridge. It was a flat glass panel like the ones he and the Captain had found on the planet. “From here you can control all functions of the ship?”

“Exactly.” Peridot sat in the chair.

“May I contact my ship from here? I should contact them and inform them of my current status.”

“Why? We don’t want any more visitors. We had enough of you, organics.” Jasper said.

“That is exactly what I am trying to prevent. Unless I contact the Enterprise, they will beam down an away team to try and find me.” He didn’t want to use the word ‘rescue’, not to offend his—hosts.

“I think you lie. I think they are scared, and have probably left, or will do so soon. If that ship of yours is actually real.”

“That is a wrong assumption. Humans do not scare easily. Their species is very protective of the members of their group and they have taken me as a member of the crew, as one of their own. Unless I contact them, they will beam down more people until they find me, I assure you.”

“Organics always run away,”she said categorically. “If you call them, they will come.”

“If you let me hail them, I can request them not to send anyone else down. Otherwise, in some time you will find your ship surrounded.”

“Jasper, not all organics run away.” Peridot was suddenly serious, for the very first time. “Steven never ran away.”

“Steven is a Diamond.”

Steven? That wasn’t a Gem name. Spock was very interested in the turn the conversation had taken.

“Steven is only half-diamond. And he would have done what Spock described. You weren’t there, but I saw how he took a Roaming Eye to Pink’s Zoo when Blue kidnapped his dad. He had never been to space, but he went directly into a Diamond’s den, totally fearless and confident he would find him and get him back home. And he did!”

“I am against this—this whole thing. We came here with one purpose and you’re practically adopting organics as your pets. First the two round-eared ones and now this one. Must I remember you he almost destroyed our reactor? Instead of putting the kindergarten back to work you’re wasting time showing off your spaceship. I knew I should have asked to be assigned to another Peridot.”

“You, assigned another Peridot! It’s me who should have asked to be assigned another Quartz! What are you doing to revive the kindergartens, Jasper? You couldn’t even learn how to use a simple computer.”

Spock retreated slowly as he saw Peridot stand up and shift into a fighting stance. Jasper smirked.

“Do you think you can beat me, little one?”

If height was anything to go by, undoubtedly Peridot had no chance at all in combat. Moreover, as he Peridot had let on, Gems were built for a purpose, and while Jasper had made clear hers was to be a soldier, Spock thought Peridot’s was probably engineering, or something similar. He wondered if there was anything he could say to tone down the tense atmosphere. Maybe, a logical appeal to duty would work.

“Surely a fight is not the best way to resume your duties.”

“Shut up!” Jasper yelled at him. “I had enough of this pebble. We’re at war, Peridot! Every minute you waste here on this planet is hundreds of us being cracked.”

That statement seemed to shake Peridot a little.

“The Quartzs will be out in a few days, Jasper. Thanks to ME! Then you’ll get to release your frustration while training them. Don’t take it on me, or you’ll never get out of this planet.”

It was Jasper’s turn to be shaken. She straightened up and burst into a fit of laughter.

Spock’s eyebrow soared. Why was Jasper now laughing when she had been close to smashing her companion into pieces? He would have never predicted this outcome. Eventually, her laughter died out and there was silence.

“Too bad you’re not a Quartz,” she said, turning around. They watched her as she left the bridge.

“Don’t mind her. She’s been like that since she was ordered to come here. All she wants is to go back to the front line.” Peridot sat back on the chair and dipped her little hands on the glass panel. Holograms flared up in the viewscreen, moving rapidly. “I’m contacting your ship. Talk.”

“Spock to Enterprise, do you read me?”

“Mr Spock? Is that you? We read you,” Uhura’s voice flooded the bridge.

“I am undamaged. Do not send a team to the ship. I repeat, do not send a team to the ship. I will request to beam up shortly.”

“I’m sorry, Mr Spock. Commander Scott has already sent a rescue team.”

“Then tell him to transport them back up immediately.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Spock?” Scotty was speaking. “Are you alright? We cannot contact the team. They are not responding.”

“Beam up all human life signals in the area immediately, Commander. It’s an order.”


End file.
